Bicycle.



No. 650,346. Patented may 22', |900. H. TuTTLE.

alcYcLE.

(Application led Feb. 19, 1898.)

(llo Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

W/T/VESSES NVENTOR MyW v 'H00 met, .Taatte Patented May 22, |900.

No, 650,346. I

H. TuTTL'E.

BICYCLE.

(Application led Feb. 19, 1898.)

2A Sheets-Sheet 2`.

(NoModel.)

AF-I 6.8.

FIQH. FIG.|2.

/NVENTOR Hosmea e -WTNESSES waff W y Alorney.

UNTTBD STATES PATENT Orrrcn.

I-IOSMER TUTTLE, OF CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SHELLEYTUTTLE, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

BICYCLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 650,346, dated May 22,1900.

' Application filed February 19, 1898. Serial N0. 670.945. (N0 modem yTo @ZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, HosMERTUTTLn, aciti= zen of the United States,residing at Cedar Rapids, in the county of Linn and State of Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Bicycles, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

My invention relates to mechanical movements intended mainly for thepropulsion of bicycles to take the place of the chain now generally usedon safety-bicycles, and thereby reduce the expense and the amount offriction.

Although the construction of the movement canbe used in connection withother machines it is shown in the drawings in connection with a bicycle,the frame of which may be of any suitable form. It comprises cranks andcrank-pins on the axle of the hind wheel, sprocket-wheels on the axle ofthe pedal-shaft, and forked connecting-rods to unite said axles, asdescribed in Patent No. 564,665, granted to me July 28, 1896; but inthis improvement the location of the hind crank is within the sideframes, the interlocking sprockets are provided withantifrietion-rollers, and the ends of the forked connecting-rods areprovided with hooked connections adapted to rock on said ends, saidhooked rocking connections having a segment of gear-teeth on their outerperiphery in engagement with short stationary racks to cause theirrocking and facilitate the noiseless entrance of the sprocket-rollersinto the hooked rocking connections and their issue therefrom and alsoto compensate for the inequalities of speed of the connecting-rod due tothe rear cranks motion, and thus obtain uniform motion of thesprocket-wheel.

Other new features will be described in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in-Which- Figure l represents a side view ot' a bicycleprovided with a mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention,but showing only one .of the forked rods. Fig. 2 represents, on a largerscale, a top view, partly in section, of the mechanism. Fig. 3represents a side view of the mechanism on one side of the machine, withthe casing of the sprocket-wheel in section. Fig. i represents ahorizontal section of a portion of one of the cranks, its'shaft, thesprocket-wheel secured thereto, the sleeve of the crank-shaft, and thecasing secured thereto. Fig. 5 is a side view of one of the ball-bearing locking-sleeves and its locking-bolt. Fig. 6 is an. end view of thelocking-sleeve. Fig. 7 is a side view of 011e of the hooked rockingconnections of one branch of one of the forked connecting-rods, its sidearm being broken oif to show its slot. Fig. 8 is a transverse section ofsaid hooked rocking connection mounted upon one branch of one of theforked connecting-rods. Fig.

9 represents an end view of said hooked rocking connection having itsgroove or hook in engagement vwith one of the rollers of thesprocket-wheel and its toothed upper end in engagement with the racksecured to the casing. Fig. 10 represents-,in top View and partly' insection, the rear-wheel axle, its ball-bearings, crank-shaft, andconnecting-rods. Fig. 11 is a side view of the rear portion of one ofthe forked rods, its crank-pin, ball-bearing cone, and locking devicefor said cone. a perspective view of the crank-pin.

In said drawings, A represents the seatcarrying standard of the frame,and A2 the braces between the crank-shaft b,carrying the pedals B2 andalso the sprocket-Wheels C and C2, and the crank-axle d for the hindwheel E,

said axle cl having its .ends received in ballbearings o2, mounted inthe rear ends of the braces A2 and protected by caps a3,which serve alsoas a lock-nut for the hallway.

Each end of the axle d has a crank-arm cl2, and each end of the hub ofthe wheel E has a similar crank-arm e2, but the arms e2 are set at anangle of ninety degrees to each other. The arms d2 e2 of each crank areunited to gether by a tubular crank-pin D, having four lugs providedwith side faces that are not radial, but are parallel or at right anglesto each other and are projecting from each one of its ends that arereceived in corresponding grooves formed at right angles to each otherin bosses on the arms cl2 e2, and a bolt D2, passing through said armsand through the crankpin D, secures these parts together until it isdesired to remove the wheel E for repairs or until it is desired to havethe crank-pin occu py Fig. 121s a position a quarter of a revolutionlfront or back to make up for wear ofthe parts. The pin D is groovedcircumferentially to obtain a ballway to receive the inner face of theballs of the ball-bearing around it, and said balls are inclosed by therear end of each forked connecting-rod, being adj ustably re-V tained intheir seat by a ball-cone D3, having its periphery provided withserrations. To lock said cone a dog d3 is secured with a screw to theouter face of each connecting-rod and has its acute end made to engagewith some one of the serrations onthe periphery of the flange of thecone D3.

The sprocket-wheel() has radiating at equal distances apart a series ofarms c, having their outer ends slotted and each one provided in saidslotrwith an antifriction-roller r to be received alternately into aslot f, which constitutes a hook of rocking connections f2, which haveside arms f3, by which they are pivotally mounted on the end of both theupper branch and the lower branch of the forked connecting-rod F. Theouter end of each rockingconnectionf2 is provided with a segment ofgear-teeth that remain constantly in engagement with the teeth of a rack2, that is secured to the interior surface of the sprocketwheel casing 3at its uppermost and lowermost points. Each rack 2 has cheek-pieces 4 tomaintain each rocking connection in perfeet alinement with its rack. Theteeth of therack and the teeth of the segments of gears are made of aspecial form, so that they will bottom into each other, as said partsare the supports for the front ends of the forked connecting-rods and itis important that any rattling noise or vibration should be prevented.

, To render the union of the rocking connection]c2 with the ends of theforked connecting-rod F substantially frictionless, each counection f2is provided with an arm f5 parallel therewith, that carries the groovedballway, the balls, and the cones of ballbearings. There is an innercone f4, an outer cone f5, the head of which is received in part in arecess made into the inner face of the fork of the rod F, and ascrew-bolt b2, passing through the cones and through the fork of the rodF, its head being countersunk into the outer face ofsaid fork, and aretaining-screwf6 locks the bolt b2. This construction of ball-bearingsis repeated for each branch of the forked connecting-rods on both sidesof the machine.

' The sides of the slot f of each rocking connection are lined withhard-steel face-plates f7, dovetailed in said sides.

The distance between the front ends of the branches of the forked -rod Fis maintained by a curved brace F2, uniting said branches, and they aresupported by the segmental gears f2 and the latter by the racks 2,fastened to the casing 3. Said casing is firmly secured to thepedal-sleeve of the frame and also to one of the side braces A2. It hasin its rear edge two openings for the passage of the branches of theforked connecting-rod F, and said .openings are rendered dust-proof anddamp-proof by means of flexible diaphragms 5, of thin4 sheet-rubber,leather, or textile material preferably doubled upon itself and havingits outer edge secured to the casing around each rod-opening and itscenter substantially clasping eachbranch of the forked connecting-rod.

The pedals-shaft b is preferably made in two lengths diagonally cut attheir inner ends and inclosed ina sleeve 6, screw-tapped with right andleft hand screw-threads near its ends and carrying cone-faced rings forballbearings, while a ring', L-shaped in crosssection, is employed forthe other ball-bearing. Said ring '7 is screwed within the end of thecrank-shaft sleeve of the frame by temporarily connecting it by means'ofa small pinv (not shown) with the boss of the pedalcrank. Afteradjustment said ring, which has angular teeth on its inner edge, islocked by means of a small dog 8, thathas a rectangular shoulder 9, madeto pass partly through a slot in the sleeve. Said shoulder has ascrew-threaded portion, upon which is placed a nut that clamps the dog 8to the sleeve with its acute end in engagement with the serrations ofthe ring?. The sprocket-wheel C is secured to the boss of thepedal-crank by means of two or three screws. The outer face of thecasing 3 is closed with a thin metal disk g, having its peripheryreceived in the rabbeted edge of said casing and secured thereto withtwo or more screws.

The above description relates to the lefthand half of the drivingmechanism; but the mechanism on the right-hand side is exactly similarand consists of the forked connectingrod G, the ends of which areprovided with rocking connections, as f2, each having a segment of gearin engagement with a rack and adapted for engagement with asprocketwheel having three arms at equal distances,

apart and provided with antifriction-rollers; but said sprocket-wheel isso timed relatively to the sprockets c of the'wheel C as to be aboutthirty degrees in the rear of each one of them.

The frame of the machine is provided with a forward brace A3, as usual.

In the operation of the mechanism the rocking up and down and alsolongitudinally of the rear end of the connecting-rod F orV G causes thehooked connections at their front end to be rocked upon theirrack-supports and their slotted end to be presented in the bestpositions to either receive one of the rollers r of the sprocket-wheelor to let one of said rollers escape from engagement with thesprocket-Wheels, so that the engagement of the parts will not causeanynoise. As there must necessarily be some moments in which the rollersof the sprocket-wheels are not in working engagement with the slots ofthe rocking connections f2, (while entering and leaving theln,) aduplication of the mechan- IIO ism is required to actuate the rearcrank-axle during these intermediate movements. As there is only alittle more than one roller of the sprocket-wheel or a portion of tworollers in engagement with the rocking connections on the ends ot theforked connectingrods, the friction is reduced to the minimum possible.

The diameter of the s procket-wheels and the number of arms they are tocarry or the diameter of carrying-wheels can be selected according tothe speed of motion that may be desired.

Having now fully described my invention, I claiml. A mechanical movementconsisting of an axle carrying two crank-pins, a forked connecting-rodmounted at each end upon each crank-pin and having at the opposite endtwo hooked connections pivotally mounted thereon, means as described tooscillate said hooked connections and sprocket-wheels havingfriction-rollers for engagement with the pivoted hooked connectionssubstantially as described.

2. In a mechanical movement for bicycles, the combination of the axle ofone of `the carrying-wheels, two crank-pins carried by said axle, twobranched connecting-rods mounted at one end upon each crank-pin andhaving at the opposite end two hooked connections pivotally mountedthereon, each hooked con- .nection carrying a segment of teeth, andstationary racks for engagement with said segments of teeth, withsprocket-wheels for engagement with the pivoted hooked connectionssubstantially as described.

3. In a bicycle the combination of the axle of one of thecarrying-wheels, two crank-pins carried by said axle, two branchedconnecting-rods mounted at one end upon the crankpins vand carrying atthe opposite end two hooked connections pivotally mounted thereon, eachhooked connection carrying a segment of teeth, and stationary rackshaving side cheeks, with sprocket-wheels for engagement with the pivotedhooked connections substantially as described.

4. In a bicycle the combination of the axle of one of thecarrying-wheels, two crank-pins carried by said axle, two branchedconnecting-rods mounted at one end upon the crankpin and carrying at theopposite end two hooked connections having bearing-carrying win gspivotally mounted upon the forkedends of the connectingrods, means asdescribed to oscillate said hooked connections with sprocket-Wheels forengagement With the pivoted hooked connections substantially asdescribed.

5. In abicycle the combination of the frame of the machine, the axle ofone of the carrying-wheels, two crank-pins carried by said axle, twobranched connectingrods mounted at one end upon the crank-pins andcarrying at the opposite end two hooked connections pivotally mountedthereon, each hooked connection carrying a segment ot teeth,sprocketwheels for engagement with the pivoted hooked connections, andstationary casings for the sprocket-wheels and for the hookedconnections, racks secured within said casings, and exible diaphragmssecured to the casings and embracing the connecting-rods substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence ot two witnesses.

HOSMER TUTTLE.

Witnesses:

E. E. MASSON, A. B. Dncons.

